Complexity Kills
by Ardin
Summary: Twilight AU. The situation with Ari drives Kate to Gibbs, but how will they deal with the morning after? KIBBS.
1. Prologue: Simple Reality

**Complexity Kills** By Ardin

Disclaimer: I own the DVDs (Season Three on April 24th!!! Bwa-ha-ha), but I don't own anything else that is NCIS related except for the ideas.

Spoilers: Everything up to and including Twilight is completely fair game.

**A/N:** I originally posted the prologue as an NC-17 on the NCIS ezboard. This is an all-age friendly version and will be followed by the sequel that I promised everyone who read on the board. It is set immediately after the events of Twilight, but it is an AU where kate doesn't die, which should be pretty obvious through the reading.

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**Prologue: Simple Reality**

His boat did not provide its usual mental distraction as his mind ran through the events of the day. Growling slightly, he put more force into each stroke, sanding the wood before him to a smooth finish. He hated that Fornell had been the one responsible for saving all of their asses up on that roof. He hated that he hadn't been the one to think of putting snipers on the adjoining rooftops; snipers that had seen Ari before the terrorist could fire a shot at his team. And he hated that he hadn't been the one to shoot the bastard.

His mind played through hundreds of alternate realities for the afternoon: Ari shooting him; Ari shooting Tony or one of the others. It was bad enough that Kate had taken those rounds to her vest; he didn't even want to think of what he would do if she had… With a forceful shake of his head he pushed away the image of Kate on a slab in the morgue.

Stepping away from the framework in front of him, he took a large sip from the coffee mug on his workbench. The air in his basement was thick and muggy, the result of a brutal combination of unseasonably hot weather and the oppressive 'what ifs' that raced through his mind. He had stripped out of his shirt hours ago, preferring to allow the sweat to run down his bare back rather than letting it collect in the sticky fabric of the garment.

Taking another swallow of the bitter liquid before setting the cup down, he turned back to the wood frame and sander. He had only been at it for a few more minutes when her footsteps on the stairs drew him once again out of his mental wanderings. Her pace was slow, but purposeful and he chose to continue his work, acknowledging her presence only with the slight straightening of his back, preferring to let her speak first about whatever had drawn her to his home so late at night.

He followed her progress towards him by the sound of her footsteps, wholly expecting her to speak at any moment. Words that would make apologies, or inquire after his state of mind, or ask for reassurance that they had done right without actually voicing the request. But the words never came. Instead she stopped behind him, the loud silence drowning out his ability to exactly pinpoint her location.

He was just about to give in - to turn and start the conversation himself - when he felt her hand trail lightly, almost reverently down his naked back. He stiffened at the touch, only just managing to hold back his gasp of surprise. Her fingers tracked fleetingly across his right shoulder to his spine, where they applied more pressure to trace the slight bumps of his vertebrae. Holding completely still, partially in shock but mostly out of curiosity, he closed his eyes as she laid her palm solid just above the waistband of his pants, pausing her motion for the barest of moments. Continuing on she moved her hand to the left, stopping only when she was lightly gripping his side, her thumb running up and down the length of the small scar she found just below his lowest rib.

He opened his eyes as the reality of their situation came flooding back to him. Their ranks, positions, and the trauma of the day quelling his desire to see just where the hell she was planning on taking all of this. He tried to rationalize her behavior, his mind coming up with dozens of idiotic explanations that would allow them both to stay inside their professional walls. He was just about to ask her what was going on when he felt her thumb pull away from its motion over his puckered wound, only to have it replaced by the feel of her lips closing on the skin in a wet kiss. Sucking in a deep breath, he turned sharply toward her, clamping down on the arousal that her brief touch had ignited.

Her features showed no sign of embarrassment or insanity, as she locked her eyes on his for a short second. They were dark with intensity and desire, and they held his blue gaze for only a moment before moving downward to take in his bare chest and abdomen. Hands that had fallen to her side when he turned moved back to his body, one gripping his waist again as the other skated briefly over his pecs. Resisting the urge to touch her, he cleared his throat before speaking.

"Kate, stop." His voice was soft, almost caring. His mind had managed during the brief moments of their contact to connect her actions with the events of the day: their close brush with death, the end of the tension that had settled over NCIS since that day in the morgue over a year ago. As much as he wanted exactly what she was offering him, he also wanted her to be thinking clearly about it. He repeated his request. "Stop."

His words seemed to barely register as she closed most of the remaining distance between them, leaning in to kiss his shoulder, sucking lightly at the scar Ari had left during their original encounter. He closed his eyes briefly as all the heat that had been present in the air seemed to shift to center on her presence. He tried again to stop her, voice a little louder and harsher. "Kate, stop."

His tone was slightly husky as her ministrations continued to eat away at his resolve, his arousal starting to make itself known despite his efforts at self-control. His words appeared to make it to her this time, as she shook her head lightly in response and moved her mouth across his chest to his left bicep and the grenade shrapnel mark from Columbia. He could feel his resolve slipping away, and he tried again, this time moving his hands to her hips and holding her forcefully away from him as he spoke.

"Kate, stop this. Tomorrow, you're going to wake up and seriously regret coming here… doing this. You should go home." He held her gaze as he spoke, silently promising to never speak of it again if she just left. He didn't expect her to react vocally, and her clear, confident tone surprised him.

"Even if I regret this…" She paused and he clearly understood her unspoken completion of the phrase _'and I won't.'_ "…I would rather regret doing this, than someday regret never having the chance to do this." Memories of earlier in the day flashed again through his head. Her body crashing to the ground, two rounds stuck in the vest. His fleeting anguish that she might be dead. And the sound of a rifle shot that could just as easily have been Ari as the FBI agent who had actually pulled the trigger.

His resolve continued to degrade, as he internally acknowledged that if anything ever did actually happen to one of them, he would regret never telling her how he felt. And it crumbled further as her voice once again sounded in the silent basement. "I want you, and have for a long time." His hands tightened involuntarily on her hips, pulling her slightly closer. "If you don't want me, than I'll leave, but…" She left the words hanging and the last of his defenses crumbled in the silence that followed.

Leaning toward her, he touched his lips lightly to her own; his hands sliding around to her back, pulling her closer. All hesitation that he felt was blown from his mind at her moan as his large palm slipped under her shirt hem. Kissing her soundly, head tilting to an optimum angle, tongue tracing her bottom lip, he turned them, pressing her back against the wooden frame of his boat. She squirmed against him, trying desperately to increase their already total body contact and opened her mouth willingly to his questing tongue. His hands stayed steady on her back, rubbing small circles under her shirt as hers found purchase on his neck and in his hair. Their mouths made love, tongues wrapping erotically around each other, thrusting forcefully past teeth and gums. Her mixed taste of vanilla and coffee dueled with his bourbon, both quickly losing themselves in the other.

Pulling her away from the boat and turning her, he led her out of the basement, his hands on her waist the entire trip. As they came out of the basement, he turned her once again to face him, catching her lips with his as he pushed her gently down the hall to his bedroom.

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The alarm clock woke him the next morning. Growling at the insistent beeping he reached to the nightstand to turn it off, taking in the empty bed as he did so. He hadn't actually expected her to stay with him. He had known even as he kissed her lips that first time downstairs that she wouldn't. Had known as he settled himself over her on his bed, as he made love to her in complete silence.

A part of him still wished that she had remained with him, been curled up next to him when the alarm went off. Ironically it was the same part of him that had known last night that what they were doing was insane and potentially disastrous. Now all he wanted was to have her cuddled up beside him, to make love to her again, to talk about what it all meant.

Heaving a heavy sigh, he threw the covers off and slid to sit on the edge of the bed. Resting his palms on his bare knees he rubbed his hands roughly over his face, trying hopelessly to banish the images of Kate which kept making their way to the forefront of his mind. Standing quickly, he ignored the desire to call in sick for the first time in his life and made his way instead to the bathroom for a shower.

It was going to be a very long day at work, and as the hot water coursed down his body, a myriad of different scenarios for seeing Kate during the day flashed through his mind, none of them giving much comfort to the hollow sensation that had settled in his stomach.

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**A/N:** I'm already more than halfway through the next section and hope to have it posted by tomorrow (Saturday). Feel free to yell at me, politely please, if you think it will help guarentee that. Reviews are appreciated. I'm hoping that this will get posted reasonably quickly now that I've finally figured out where I want it to go.


	2. Ch 1: Complex Insanity: Monday

**A/N: **Okay so it's a day late and probably a dollar short, but it's here all the same. I hope all of you like it and I'll work on the rest of it as time permits. I want to warn you all right now though that nothing will be posted between the 9th and the 18th, though I will be busy writing. I'm going on holiday - spring break - and have no intention of being anywhere near a computer during that time. I will probably have one more chapter done before then.

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**Chapter One: Complex Insanity – Monday**

It took Gibbs almost an hour to make the normally speedy trip to the Navy Yard. Every turn in the road seemed to offer itself as an opportunity to avoid the inevitable and unenviable task of showing up at work. On multiple occasions during the morning's journey he cursed having to go in to the office after having worked the entire weekend. Normally he appreciated the fact, the constant work keeping him from thinking to much about the past. Now all he really wanted was to curl back up in bed and avoid reality for awhile.

He ignored the usually efficient and speedy highway system around DC all together, preferring the slow, winding back roads of the suburbs. A part of him hoped that the circuitous route would allow him the ability to get lost, to spend the entire day anywhere but in her presence; her brown eyes and distinctly Kate smell driving him crazy with the images of the previous night.

_Her skin was smooth under his rough, calloused hands as he pushed her gently onto the bed; her breath catching as he bent over her, weight supported by strong arms on either side of her head. His slightly parted lips hovered just above hers, his breath billowing gently against her face. Clear blue locked with chocolate brown, questioning: _Are you sure?_ The nod of her head as her hands clasped around his neck pulling him down to her._

With some difficulty he shook himself out of the memories of the previous night. He was never going to survive the day if he couldn't even make the drive to work without being distracted by what had happened, even if that drive did end up taking the better part of the day as he could only hope it would.

Even in the daze that had surrounded him since he'd woken, his subconscious had still managed to steer him safely to DC Beans, the fact that he had never gone there via back roads before apparently being overridden by a desperate need for coffee. He didn't question how that worked, instead he carefully parked the car and wandered in to the coffee house, thankful for yet another way to avoid NCIS headquarters.

By the time he actually strode into the bullpen he was an hour and a half late and already counting down the six hours left until he could leave again. He had every intention of acting as normally as possible; as far as his team was concerned nothing had changed. Only Kate knew the truth and he suspected she would not be letting on any more than he would. His intentions were blown completely, however, by his late arrival.

As he made his way out of the elevator and toward his desk, the customary "Morning, boss." of Tony and McGee went unsaid, while Kate's cursory greeting of "Gibbs." to acknowledge his presence just confirmed his suspicions that she planned to return to the status quo that had previously existed. He cut off any questions about his late entrance with his usual barrage of orders.

"Tony, start tracking Ari's movement over the last forty-eight hours. I want to know every time he ate, slept, and took a leak."

"Already on it, boss. The FBI sent us everything they had last night, but it has more holes than Swiss cheese and its taking a lot just to find the little stuff, we kinda killed everyone that might have a clue…" His voice trailed off at Gibbs' glare and he turned back to his desk to continue the search. Turning to McGee, the older man tried to keep his voice level and hard even as images of Kate's bullet riddled vest the previous night flooded his mind. _Damn straight we killed them all._

"How's the work on the missile control system going? Do we have anything on it yet?"

McGee's voice shook slightly as he informed Gibbs about the progress, or lack thereof, that had been made. "Abby and I have been working on it, but those bullets you put in did a lot of damage."

"Well, what are you doing up here, go help Abby figure it out." His volume had risen above its usual dull roar and momentum throughout the rest of the bullpen stalled momentarily until Gibbs' stare pushed people back to their tasks.

He was dreading the inevitable turn to Kate, having avoided to that point even looking at her, when her voice sounded in anticipation of his next request.

"The body is already down in autopsy, Ducky is waiting. He thought you would probably want to be down there for it." Her voice sounded as though she spoke to her desk rather than him, but he still didn't look to confirm that. He gave a slight nod and was grateful for yet another reason to avoid her as he headed down to see Ducky.

Despite the inherent satisfaction of watching Ducky reduce Haswari to his component parts, Gibbs couldn't turn his mind completely to the autopsy occurring before him. Part of him knew that this hour away from the bullpen, from her, was no more than an avoidance tactic which would, in the long run, not be enough to put everything behind them. He wondered, as he watched Ducky weigh Ari's liver, if there was anything in the world that could put everything behind them and if that's even what he truly wanted.

The foray into autopsy was enough to keep him out of the bullpen for almost two hours and a side trip to Abby's lab to check on her progress with the missile control assembly ate up another twenty minutes. By the time he did make it back up to his desk, it was late enough that he could reasonably take off for an hour's lunch. He was so much in his own world that he missed the shocked look on Tony's face at the unusual behavior. It had become his custom over the years to eat at his desk, rarely leaving the building for more than the ten minutes it took to run to the corner deli for a sandwich.

By the time he arrived back from a slow, though completely unrelaxing, meal, Kate had disappeared down to Abby's lab where she seemed to be content to stay for the remainder of the afternoon. Apparently she was just as happy as he was to stay far away from each other. And he made sure of it by leaving early for the first time since he'd joined NCIS nineteen years earlier.

Crashing heavily on the couch in his living room that night, Gibbs cursed a God he'd long since stopped believing in for the events of the previous days. Despite his best efforts to keep himself busy and to keep his thoughts away from Kate, he had failed miserably. Every single thing he'd done all day had reminded him of her. And he cursed himself equally hard for going against his own rules and falling in love with her.

He wasn't even sure when exactly it had happened. There had certainly been an attraction, even lust, when he'd shaken her hand on Air Force One and plenty of other memories stood out as strengthening that initial interest, but he couldn't pinpoint the moment – if there was one – when he'd finally fallen in love with her.

Attempting, yet again, to shake off all thoughts of Kate, he settled himself more comfortably on the couch and tried to sleep, promising himself as he drifted into a fitful night's rest that he was capable of going back to how things had been before; back to normality.

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**TBC**


	3. Ch 2: Complex Insanity: Tuesday

**A/N:** Just like I promised I managed to get this up during the weekend. Hope everyone likes: let me know.

For everyone who keeps hoping for a happy resolution: I'm not telling whether or not you are going to get one :P Gotta keep the suspense going. For the moment I am really enjoying writing my first successful angsty piece.

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**Chapter Two: Complex Insanity – Tuesday**

"So much for back to normal." The words were a heavy sigh as he sagged onto his couch Tuesday evening. His body was tired after the previous night's lack of real sleep. He had tried to clear his mind - to drift off into the bliss of unconsciousness - but all he could see each time he closed his eyes was Kate and sleep hadn't come. His mind was as tired, if not more so. Every minute of the day had been spent attempting to keep up the appearance that nothing was wrong, but little things had gotten under his skin all day.

He was pretty sure that he was offering up the perfect façade of normality. Years of shoving his emotions under a mask of gruffness and distance had paid off through the day. Externally he had made it back to the man he had been before all of the weekend's activities occurred.

But the external was a complete lie. In his own mind every task had taken an immense effort of concentration and focus. Even simple things like pulling up files on his computer or pouring a cup of coffee, both of which he normally would do automatically, had required secondary thought.

He considered briefly, as he relaxed against the sofa's back, that all of this might actually be easier if he wasn't so regularly distant from people while still being intensely involved in the events surrounding him. He couldn't lose concentration for a moment without them noticing, but also couldn't fall on any of them for help; not even Ducky. He knew that eventually the pressure of playing both sides of the board would eventually break him, but he had no idea how to stop it.

As he closed his eyes against the sudden headache and increased wave of exhaustion, his mind forced him back to a number of moments from the day.

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Tony had watched cautiously as he entered the bullpen that morning. No doubt his mind was still on the oddities of Monday's routine and wondered if Gibbs' bizarre behavior would continue. His fears seemed to be relieved when Gibbs immediately began barking out orders for the day's work. Even without specific cases to work there was still plenty that could be done.

Placing his coffee cup on the desk in front of him, he had immediately dropped his attention to his own paperwork all the while hoping beyond hope that a case would come their way quickly and give them something 'real' to do.

Despite the appearance of complete concentration on the file in front of him and the steady motion of his pen across the document, most of his attention was focused on the light banter that occasionally drifted between Kate and Tony. Even with the slight slow down their talking usually resulted in, he had never before told them to stop, well aware that the camaraderie now would help them trust each other in the field. That day he had to fight the desperate desire to tell them to cut it out; every comment of Kate's drifting into his subconscious and pulling out other memories: _'I want you, and have for a long time.'_

He shook himself out of the memory as the phone on his desk rang, pulling him out of that night and back to the present. His team waited silently as he took the call and were already out of their chairs as his familiar words filled the bullpen.

"Gear up!"

It took only seconds for them to be ready to go and into the elevator, but Gibbs' mind wasn't on the case, but rather on the fact that Kate had chosen to stand at a diagonal behind him in the box instead of at his side as normal.

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The case appeared to be pretty simple; the NCIS team needing to do little but collect witness statements. A petty officer had tried to rob a convenience store and been shot in the process. There was no real investigation necessary and on any other day Gibbs might have complained about his advanced team being given such a low assignment. However, any distraction was welcome at that point and he gave Tony a rough slap across the head when the younger agent voiced those exact thoughts.

Moving to the back of the store with McGee to collect witness statement, he once again was drawn into the changes that that night had wrought. At any other crime scene Kate would have accompanied him to interviews, but he knew that her presence would do little more than to continue to distract him from the work before him.

Sweeping his gaze over the crime scene and his agents hard at work, he sighed internally before turning back to the job. 'Normal' seemed to be working for everyone but him.

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He had tried all day to avoid being alone in Kate's company, despite the fact that if things had been truly normal it would have been all too routine to have the team split: him and Kate on one task with Tony and McGee on another. For the most part he'd been successful at keeping the distance, working with Tony and McGee instead, but the last requirement of the day had allowed no such luxury.

While his usual disposition ran towards gruff and abrupt, he was well aware of the fact that confronting a mother, especially one with known emotional issues, with the news of her son's death required tact; something he knew from previous experience that Tony lacked and that McGee hadn't been on the job long enough to have acquired. So he had had no other choice than to take the thirty minute car trip with Kate. The trip might have been significantly less uncomfortable had his mind not so utterly revolted against the forced and faked pleasantness of small talk. But it had and the ride passed in complete silence.

Keeping his focus on the road had taken all his mental capacity and by the time they had delivered their bad news and made it back to headquarters he had been completely mentally and physically exhausted. Forcing himself back behind his desk and keeping himself there until he was the last one out - like normal - had been one of the most difficult things he'd ever had to do, and that included the entirety of his service in the Corps.

As the last agent had straggled out of the office, he had turned off his desk light and headed home himself.

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He had tried to work on his boat after he'd arrived home; to lose himself in the wood and the activity. But, as with everything else since Sunday, the basement was now tinged with memories of Kate. The feel of her willing body as he'd pushed her back against the wood frame, the mix of her perfume with the scent of sawdust which dominated the room, and the look of desire in her eyes just before he'd kissed her that first time. He'd quickly given up all hope of using his boat as a distraction and trudged up the stairs to the living room.

Finally giving up any hope of his thoughts and dreams being Kate free, he stretched out on the couch and closed his eyes. Running through the events of the day had helped neither his headache nor his overall mental state and he resigned himself to yet another night of tossing and turning. His last thought before slipping into a restless sleep, and the only positive one he'd had all day, was that maybe it would get easier to pretend as time went by. He could only hope that the next day would be better.

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**TBC**


	4. Ch 3: Complex Insanity: Wednesday

**A/N: **I finally got fed up with my computer flight models and wrote this chapter as a break from my school work. I'm profoundly sorry that it has taken me so long to get this to all of you fine folk, and apologize in advance that it may be awhile before you get any other updates from me. I'm graduating this semester and so life is hectic at best.

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**Chapter Three: Complex Insanity – Wednesday**

"So much for this getting easier." His words broke the silence that otherwise filled his dark kitchen. He was painfully aware that talking to himself seemed to be becoming a habit, but couldn't bring himself to care all that much as he pulled the freezer door open. With more force than necessary he grabbed a frozen pizza from a shelf and slammed the door shut again. Shoving the medium pepperoni in the oven and setting the timer, he leaned back against a counter and closed his eyes.

He had barely slept at all the previous two nights and he had finally reached a stage where he was just too tired to fight the memories and images that filled his mind. Snapshots from earlier in the day intermixed themselves with scenes from that night with Kate in a horrible, headache inducing flash of thought.

The day had actually started off considerably better than Tuesday's quasi-normal. He found it increasingly easier to be in the same room as Kate and had actually managed to get himself to a mental position where she was Agent Todd at any time he was speaking to her and Katie only when he allowed his thoughts to drift. This he considered a decent victory as much of the tension the previous days had been caused by his inability to separate the two. Or at least that's what he continued to tell himself.

As long as he didn't let his thoughts drift he was fine. And while no case had presented itself to ensure that was true, he had found it simple enough to bury his mind in paperwork and follow-up to the previous days shoplift gone bad.

By lunch he had been feeling quite pleased with everything and was beginning to allow himself the pleasure of believing that he stood a chance of getting a good night's sleep. This was, of course, the point at which the smoothness of the morning vanished in the face of twenty minutes and an elevator ride.

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It was the first time he'd been in an elevator alone with her since Ari had died and as a wave of her perfume blew over him, his thoughts centered firmly of his long held fantasy of making love to her in the small space. His hand had flipped the emergency stop and the words were out of his mouth before he could stop them.

"Why did you leave?" He'd meant the words to caring and honestly open, but anger that he didn't even know he'd been feeling until that moment was clearly evident instead. For a moment he wished he could take them back, reverse time just long enough to stop himself from asking. The thought passed quickly though as his anger rose at her response.

"How could I have stayed?" Her tone matched his angry one despite the fact that he could see in her eyes that she wasn't truly angry. Yet. His next words served to change that pretty damn quickly.

"You do remember that you were the one who showed up at my house, right?" He had, by this point turned to face her; only a foot remaining between them as he glared down at her. "That you were the one who started all of it. If you didn't know how you could stay why did you show up in the first place?" She didn't answer his questions, choosing instead to throw one of her own at him.

"And you do remember that you were the one that originally wanted to stop right?" Her voice was condescending and anger flashed threw him even as her words brought a specific image to his mind's eye.

_Hands firm on her hips; holding her away from his body even as his heart screamed at him to pull her in and never let go. Voice telling her that she should leave; that she would regret coming to his home._

"The irony of the situation is not lost on me Kate." His tone was harsh and abrasive and he saw a potent flash of anger in her eyes. He seriously considered just pushing her against the wall of the steel box he had oh-so foolishly trapped them in; considered trying to use his body and the angry tension that filled the air to convince her that she wanted him as much as he wanted her. But he didn't. If their one night together had shown him anything it was that he didn't just want her body, he wanted HER. He knew that she had to come to him on her terms, not his. So he stayed where he was, glaring back at her with the same fierce expression her face held.

Ignoring the shot of desire that flashed through him he responded to her earlier question. "Is that why you didn't stay? Because I had tried to keep you from doing something I didn't think you actually wanted?" He was yelling by that point, and he wondered briefly if agents outside the steel box could hear him. Her volume matched his as she continued to ignore the heart of the subject.

"Why the hell do you care why I didn't stay?" Her hand reached past him and flipped the switch that put the elevator back in motion. He ignored their resumed journey as he focused on her words. "You got laid and didn't have to deal with the consequences the next morning; every man's dream."

Any retort he may have wanted to offer was stopped by the elevator's untimely arrival at their floor. Kate shot him one last glare before stomping off into the bullpen and he followed her at a more sedate pace, suddenly aware of just how poorly he had handled that situation. He'd meant to tell her just how much it had hurt waking to find that she wasn't there or explain how hard the last few days had been, but his anger had clouded all reason. Anger which continued to consume him.

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The rest of the day had been spent shooting angry glances at each other or completely ignoring that they were in fact in the same room. After spending a few minutes gazing from one of them to the other, Tony had shrugged off the situation. Kate had, on occasion, in the past disagreed with Gibbs on one thing or another and the younger agent made the assumption that much the same had happened.

Gibbs was profoundly glad that Tony seemed to be unconcerned and that McGee seemed completely oblivious because it meant that he wouldn't have to answer any difficult questions. Kate left the office as soon as it was reasonable to do so and Gibbs had stayed at his desk until long after everyone else had gone; not moving until the sentences of the report in front of him blurred to incomprehensible blobs of ink.

The ding of the oven timer informed him that the pizza was done and he pulled it out, burning himself slightly on the pan's edge. Ignoring the pain, he cut off a few slices and plodded to his couch. Anger still coursed through him from their earlier 'discussion', but it's effect was somewhat dulled by a mix of his guilt at having brought it up in the first place and a bizarre sense of happiness that at least she didn't deny that that night had actually happened.

Setting his plate on the end table he kicked off his shoes, hoisted his feet onto the coffee table and promptly fell asleep. His body, finally succumbing to three days with out sleep, relaxed into dreamless unconsciousness; head lolling on the back of the couch, arms crossed loosely across his chest, legs crossed at the ankle. Even in sleep, the scowl that had been dominant since they'd stepped off the elevator almost twelve hours earlier was still present.

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**TBC**


	5. Ch 4: Complex Insanity: Thursday

**A/N:** Okay, I am now officially a graduate. Woohoo!! And I have two months before I get handed over to Lockheed-Martin. I am very much hoping to use that time to get some of this writing done so don't be surprised if my chapters start popping up at a faster rate than previously. But not too fast, gotta build the suspense after all.

**Warning:** Chapter contains some swearing.

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**Chapter Four: Complexity Kills – Thursday**

By morning the guilt and slight happiness he'd felt the previous day had been completely covered by his anger at her. He still wasn't entirely sure what had prompted this anger to surface, but suddenly every aspect of that night and the events since made him mad. All he could think of was that if she hadn't come to his house that night, none of this would be happening; he would still be a content special agent capable of doing his job, instead of the depressed basket case he was sure he was rapidly becoming.

His anger was only intensified as he went about his morning routine - shower, coffee, newspaper - and her words from the day before came back to him. _'You got laid and didn't have to deal with the consequences the next morning; every man's dream.'_ The very thought that she could actually see him like that, after everything that had happened during the last two years, infuriated him even more.

It therefore was in a state of profound exasperation that he drove to work, pushing his car to it's very limits as he sped down the busy highways of the DC area, swerving around and between the cars around his. He made it into the office in record time, even with his usual stop at DC Beans.

As he stepped off the elevator into the bullpen, fellow agents could almost sense the irritation and anger the radiated off him in heavy waves. They moved out of his path as his scowling form went past, though there was really no need since his anger was directed at one person and one person only. And apparently Kate was just as angry at him. Their arguing started almost immediately after he sat down to work.

"Here's the report you wanted." The file in question landed squarily in the middle of the other papers he was working on, sending a few random sheets flying. Her voice was low as she spoke, but there was no attempt to hide the anger that she had felt since the previous day. Not even waiting for his response she stomped back to her desk, ignoring his glare the entire way.

It was only a few minutes later when his equally heated voice sounded through the area. "Agent Todd, I told you to put the latest data sheets in with this. Do it again." His tone left no room for argument and he held the file just barely away from his desk, forcing her to stand to retrieve it, her scowl just as firmly set as his.

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The rest of the day continued in much the same vane, both at least semi-aware of the irrationality of their anger, but neither willing to be the first to give it up. Tony and McGee did their best to stay out of the way in the beginning. Neither had any idea what had gone on to make their boss and co-worker so dramatically angry at one another and neither particularly wanted to find out for fear that they would be drawn into the the argument. But as the day progressed and the yelling showed no sign of abating, both began to try to distract Kate from Gibbs and vice versa.

Tony found that the best way to do this was to simply draw Kate's annoyance on himself. He and she were almost always in minor spats and the trivial barbs thrown between them seemed infinitely better than the rage filled shouts that sounded throughout the bullpen during the course of the day.

McGee, on the other hand, discovered the best way to keep Gibbs occupied quite by accident. While reading through one of the team's old reports he had found that while all the facts were laid in front of him he was having difficulty making the leap of logic from those facts to the end result. This lack of understanding had plaqued him since joining Gibbs' team and he hoped that it would go away as he got more experience. He'd never mentioned the fact for fear of incurring Gibbs' wrath and Tony's jokes, but that day found him muttering under his breath: "What am I missing?" Gibbs, who had been walking past his desk at the time, stopped to help him out and McGee made a point of continuing to ask whenever he saw something he was sure would lead to a fight.

However, even between the two of them they couldn't stop the fights all the time. By an hour to the end of the day, neither Gibbs nor Kate was making even the slightest effort to keep their arguments down and it was only a call from Ducky to the Director promising that it would get worked out inside the team that stopped the pair of them from being put on suspension.

Ducky had noticed from the beginning the change in both Gibbs and Kate. Unlike Tony, Abby, and McGee he'd known Jethro long enough to have figured out exactly what was going on. And while he knew what was going on, he also was well aware of the fact that short of locking them in a very small supply closet there was probably nothing that could be done. He doubted that his call to the Director had done much more than to buy them a day or two.

And in the meantime, the two formerly friendly agents were still at each others throats.

"You were supposed to file the paperwork. I left it on your desk so if it's lost, you lost it." Kate's voice rang through the air. Despite the fact that his anger at her had grown rather than disapate, Gibbs' first thought as she stood, hands on hips, in front of his desk was that she was hot when she was angry. But that thought was quickly covered by his anger.

Standing, his hands in tight fists against the top of his desk, he bellowed into her face. "The paperwork is the responsibility of whomever I say it is. I am in charge here. Now find it and get it filed." Their faces were just inches apart and, seeing her hands clench into fists at her side, he wondered briefly if she was planning on hitting him. Instead, she shot him a deadly glare and stocked back to her desk.

It seemed that the entire office was doing its best to escape the air of anger that had filled the building since Gibbs had first walked in at 0800 that morning. By 1700 every agent except Gibbs and Kate had left, taking the fastest route out of what could only be considered as a war zone. When the last agent had entered the elevator leaving Kate and Gibbs alone, she stood and made her way carefully to his desk, her voice venomous as she spoke.

"If you think, for even one moment, that being an ass is going to convince me to transfer off this team you are seriously senile. You want me off your team, you're going to have to explain it to the Director yourself. I won't do your dirty work for you."

Without giving him the opportuinty to respond, she grabbed her coat and purse and was soon gone from the room, choosing to take the stairs rather than wait for the elevator in his presence.

He waited until the stairwell door was closed behind her before dropping his head, with a resounding thunk, onto the desktop. If he were honest with himself, he HAD been waiting for her to ask for a transfer. Both were well aware, however, that any transfer request would have to be thoroughly explained to the Director and neither was willing to do that.

Giving up all hope of continuing to get work done, he grabbed his own gear and headed out the door. He crashed on his couch once again, not bothering to eat or change his clothes first. The last thought that drifted through his mind before he feel asleep was to wonder where exactly it had all gotten so horribly fucked up.

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**A/N: **I changed it up a little with this chapter because I thought it was only fair that Tony and company get at least a little story time especially now that things have erupted so entirely between Gibbs and Kate.

I have three other stories that I am trying to get done, while trying to keep myself from starting on my next (absolutely bat-shit crazy) story idea. So it may be a little while before the next chapter. I'm trying to post in order of apparent interest in the stories so it may still be a while. No more than two weeks, I promise.


	6. Ch 5: Complex Insanity: Friday

**A/N:** Hey guys, sorry that this took so long for me to get up, but I decided (literally just moments before I was going to post) that it needed to be reworked to flow into the next chapter.

Thank you all for your great reviews. It means so much to me to know that you all are reading and enjoying this.

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**Chapter Five: Complex Insanity – Friday**

Despite having not eaten since lunch, Gibbs' first move upon arriving home Friday night was not to the kitchen. Dropping his jacket unceremoniously by the door, he heaved a heavy sigh as he sat down on the couch. He made a conscious effort not to think about the sheer quantity of time he'd been spending on his sofa over the previous week.

He lay thinking about how much they were going in circles.

He'd spent the day avoiding being in the same room as her in much the same way that they'd spent Monday, only now they weren't avoiding the awkward glances and unsure voices. Now they were desperately staying away from the angry looks and the clipped tones. The dull ache in his stomach that throbbed when he was around her had grown since Monday as well.

He wondered briefly as he lay there, unmoving, whether his life was going to continue in the same vane for the rest of his time at NCIS. Would he and Kate simply go through cycles of avoiding each other and then yelling at each other? It was getting to the point where he'd even be willing to tell the Director everything if it meant avoiding that type of lifestyle.

The day had gone almost identically to Monday. When they had been forced to speak to each other concerning a case, they had done so without their eyes meeting and in the most monotone possible way. They'd purposefully made those times as few and far between as possible. He'd taken refuge in Ducky's lab whenever he didn't absolutely need to be at his desk and Kate had spent much of her day with Abby. The one time that they'd ended up in the elevator to the bullpen together neither had spoken and they'd kept their eyes on the door, both anxiously waiting for the ride to be over.

But just like the previous night, the work day had ended with only them left; each sitting silently, working on various files. Gibbs had studiously avoided looking in her direction while he jotted down everything he could remember from their last assignment for his case report, but had failed when she stood to gather her things.

His short glance up at her and away from the safety of the paperwork in front of him was all it took to breakdown the uncertain peace that had marked the rest of the day. He wasn't sure whether she had misinterpreted his expression or if she was just looking for any reason to be angry at him, but his brief look in her direction set her off.

"Something wrong, Special Agent Gibbs?" Her tone was inflammatory, instantly taking the offense in what she assumed would be one hell of a fight.

A fight that never came. Under any other circumstances he would never allow anyone, not even Kate, to talk to him in that tone of voice in the office. But over the last five days he'd become so stretched both mentally and physically that he no longer really cared about anything except ending this "conversation" quickly.

"No. Nothing's wrong. Have a good weekend." His words were heavy and full of every ounce of sleep deprivation he felt. He remembered that it had been like that with his second wife. They would fight for days and in the end he would say whatever it took to get even a few minutes of peace. It had generally worked with Rachel; at worst she would roll her eyes and stalk off, leaving him with his desired peace. Kate didn't take it quite as well.

"No, Gibbs, if something's wrong, tell me." She was close to yelling by that point. Dropping his pen to the desk, he rubbed his eyes with the heals of his hands, the all too familiar pain of a headache starting up. "I mean, you know everything, right? The All-Mighty Gibbs is never wrong, right? So-" Her malicious tone finally got to him.

"Stop!" Shouting, he stood up from his desk, hands balled into tight fists against his sides. "We can't keep doing this." He made an effort to keep his voice at a reasonable level as he moved around to stand in front of his workspace. "No matter how pissed you are at me, or how equally mad I am at you we can't keep doing this." Unlike the rest of the week he kept eye contact with her, determined to keep it as civilized as possible. "We can't keep yelling at each other for every little thing or avoiding being in the same place at the same time."

Despite the fact that the conversation was just one more confrontation that he could have lived without, he was almost relieved about where it seemed to be heading. Ever since the awkwardness that had greeted their state of "normality" on Tuesday an idea had been floating around the back of his mind. It was one thing to ignore the attraction that had existed between them since the beginning, but sex... Sex was on a completely different level. There was no way they could just ignore it like they'd been trying to do. He couldn't stop himself from thinking that maybe, just maybe, if they could have an honest to god talk about what had happened and why then they could make some headway towards ending whatever was going on between them. And it very much seemed that that was exactly where they were headed.

Before he could suggest that they go somewhere where they could have said talk, she spoke up. "You're right; we can't keep acting like this." Her voice had lost most of its venomous quality and he breathed a silent sigh of relief until she continued speaking, her tone hard and emotionless. "So from now on: perfect professionalism. You are my boss, I am your subordinate and nothing that happened between us should affect that."

He opened his mouth to object. To tell her that they had tried that and it hadn't worked, but she had already turned and headed to the elevator shooting one last remark at him before stepping through the doors. "I'll see you on Monday, Agent Gibbs."

Swearing loudly into the empty room, he didn't even bother to turn off his computer or file away his paperwork before he moved out of the office on his own way home.

Shifting slightly on the couch, he closed his eyes for sleep and said a silent thanks that at the very least they would have the weekend to figure things out. He couldn't help but think that it wouldn't do him a whole lot of good, and the thought took him one step further along the path of depression and self-loathing that he had started walking Monday morning.

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**A/N: **I know that I made Kate kinda bitchy in this chapter, but my reasoning was this: everyone deals with complex situations differently and since I have Gibbs sinking into a depressed and insomniatic state, I needed Kate to go a different way. Let me know what you thought, I like hearing where you guys think the story is heading because it gives me a better idea about how well I'm getting my ideas across.


	7. Ch 6: Complex Insanity: Saturday

**A/N: **Here it is guys, the next chapter. Please read and review.

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**Chapter Six: Complex Insanity – Saturday**

He hadn't been awake for more than an hour before he poured himself his first glass of bourbon. He'd woken with an extremely sore neck and a crick in his back that he didn't think would go away at all quickly. Telling himself that he couldn't sleep even one more night on his couch, he had made his way upstairs for the first time since that evening.

His first trip up his stairs in six days and he had only just climbed the first couple before memories hit him. _Her silken skin as he ran his hands over her hips and under the hem of her shirt. His smile against her lips as she stumbled attempting to take the steps backward as they continued to kiss. Her face, pulled away from his, etched with a responding grin and a raised brow as she wrapped her legs around his waist. The desire that flashed in her eyes as he crashed his lips back onto hers as carried her up the stairwell._

Where he had previously tried to shake the memories off, he now allowed himself to revel in them. With the way their once friendly relationship was deteriorating he was quite convinced that he would never again get another chance at having Kate as an intimate fixture in his life. And more so even than the screaming and yelling that had marked his last two days at the office, that idea bothered him.

He was loath to admit it, even to himself, but he'd always held on to the thought that someday all the things that effectively kept them from being more wouldn't matter.

Heaving a depressed and tired sigh he stepped through the doorway into his bedroom. The bed was exactly as he'd left it when he woke to find her gone Monday morning. He had never really been one for sentimentality or nostalgia, but the sight of his bed, sheets still mussed from their night of pleasure, caused his heart to constrict. Steeling himself against the wave of emotion, he reached out to begin removing the old sheets; to take another step towards erasing that night. But his hand haulted, hesitating over the covers.

Releasing another sigh, he sank down onto the edge of the bed, his head cradled in his hands; mirroring the position he had assumed the last time he'd been in his room after that night. He just couldn't do it. Couldn't bring himself to remove the last evidence that what had happened wasn't a dream or hallucination.

It was probably just his imagination, but he was sure that her scent still hung in the air; the odor of her light floral shampoo and soap floating around his head and assaulting the small amount of coherent thought still left to him.

Standing, he gave one last look at the bed before marching out of the room, pausing only long enough to slam his fist into the door frame. He barely even registered the pain that coursed up his arm as he stomped down the stairs and into the kitchen. Forcefully flinging open cabinets he retrieved a glass and one of two bottles of 100 proof bourbon he'd been given as a birthday gift almost five years earlier.

By the time he'd been awake for just four hours, he had drunk his way through both bottles of bourbon and the entire six pack of Guinness that had been in his fridge. And yet, even as entirely saturated in alcohol as his mind was, he still managed to torture himself with thoughts of what could have been. His mind flashed through all of the things that could have happened in the place of what actually had.

He pushed the what-ifs that entailed any of his team dying to the very back of his mind; unwilling to contemplate the stomach-wrenching concept of Tony's death or McGee or Kate's. Especially Kate's. Instead, lying on the floor in his living room, he wondered if things could have been different. He thought about how the past week would have gone if he had been the one to shoot the bastard as he had long wished to do. Or if Kate had gotten her own wish and put a bullet in his brain herself.

He had always liked to think that he knew himself and her well enough to predict how things would have gone. And while the past week and it's confusing events told him he didn't know her as well as he wished, he was still reasonably sure that either of them shooting Ari would have led to very different outcomes.

If Kate had finally gotten to do what she had wanted to since that day in autopsy, he was pretty sure that things would have gone back to exactly the way they were before Ari had reappeared in DC. The entire team would have taken extreme pleasure in finding out just how much his liver weighed and then he would have ordered them all back to work. The question of the team's survival would never have come into play on that rooftop and Kate would never have appeared in his basement.

Likewise, she wouldn't have come to his house if it had been his bullet that ended the terrorist. He was certain she would still have been glad of Ari's death, but he thought that she would also have been angry at him. Mad that he had taken her opportunity for revenge away. And while he was sure that his right for revenge equaled her own, he would have understood where she was coming from. So for a few days he would have allowed her to be upset and distant then forced them all back into the way things had always been. Back to normal.

Those were not the only two situations his mind ran through, but in none of them did events play out in the same way that reality did. He was sure that that had something to do with the complete lack of control they had had over the situation. As they stood on that rooftop, Ari and the FBI snipers had the control and all he and his team could do was just stand there and wait for events to unfold.

And because of that, none of the other scenarios he thought on would have played out the way that things had occurred in reality. He wanted to be angry about that; furious that the only train of events that could have gotten them into the trouble they were in was the one that had happened. But he couldn't actually find the power to be truly unhappy about it.

He knew it was selfish and reasonably stupid of him, but he wasn't willing to trade what actually happened for any of the situations that would have left things as "normal." Because, despite how horribly he felt and how badly the previous week had gone, the way that things had happened had given him the opportunity to make love to her. To hold her in his arms; kiss her as they found pleasure in each other. And so, despite the guilt he felt at the fact, he was actually glad things worked out as they had.

With a smile on his face he gave into the alcohol and finally drifted into a drunken sleep. His thoughts through the day had convinced him of exactly what he wanted and his dreams were filled with images of making Kate understand.

**TBC**

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**A/N: **I know that this seemed a little disjointed, but that was the idea. It's supposed to seem like your in Gibbs' head and following his rather disjointed (and drunk) thoughts.

One chapter left to go and its already written, but I gotta leave you all hanging for a while...cuz you know...I'm evil. I'm thinking 'til I get ten reviews on this one. How does that sound? Excellent!


	8. Ch 7: Complex Insanity: Sunday

**A/N: **So...I didn't quite make it to the ten reviews I asked for, but that's fine because I was really just using that as a stall tactic while I decided if I actually liked what I had written for this chapter. Now I'm really glad that I waited on it because I completely rewrote it (and I mean complete rewrite. Selected the entire document and hit delete sort of rewrite). This went from being my shortest chapter to being the longest and I hope you all feel it's been worth the wait.

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**Chapter Seven: Complex Insanity**** – Sunday**

Despite the pounding hangover that greeted him upon awakening Sunday morning, the plan that had slowly begun to form the previous day had not abated. He found himself grinning determinedly as he went about getting himself into a reasonable state of cleanliness to face the world. And more importantly, to face her.

One shower, an entire pot of coffee and a twenty minute drive later found him sitting in his car, engine off, outside her apartment building. He had been convinced almost from the beginning of the horror that was the previous week that they needed to talk and he was finally going to make sure that they did just that. Even if it meant sitting outside her door until she let him in or shouting through the door to get her to listen. It was finally time to bite the bullet, push aside his own damn stubborn pride and just admit to her what he had long since admitted to himself: that he was hopelessly in love with her and didn't think that there would ever be a time when he wasn't.

But it wasn't even a matter of telling her he loved her. He had wanted to do that when he'd woken Monday morning only to find her gone. It was admitting to her just how much it had hurt that she had left without a word. Admitting just how hard the last week had been on him. What he was about to do went against years of Marine Corps training and even more years as an NCIS agent: admit that he had a weakness and that that weakness was her.

He finalized his decision by releasing a heavy sigh, pulling the keys out of the ignition, and finally getting out of the car. As he made his way up the walk, into the building, and up the stairs a familiar feeling settled in his stomach. It was the same feeling he used to get in the Corps before a mission. A bizarre mixture of excited adrenaline and jittery fear; a feeling that pushed him forward while at the same time screaming that not another step should be taken. Just as he had always done during his time as a Marine, he pushed the feeling away, knowing it would distract him from his purpose in making the trip in the first place.

As he came to a halt in front of her door, he didn't even allow himself the luxury of a calming breath before he had knocked on the hard wood. The door was opened just moments later by Kate, who looked incredibly surprised to see him standing in her hallway. But her surprise quickly transformed to guarded curiosity.

"What are you doing here?"

Laying a hand gently on the door to ensure that she couldn't slam it in his face, he spoke, his tone even and distinct. "I want to talk to you." Under any other circumstances he would have made the statement a demand, unwillling to give up the leadership role he'd played for so long. But he was already completely forgoing pride and he wasn't about to let them continue as they had for the last week just because he couldn't break a habit.

His gentler tone did not go unnoticed by Kate, but she ignored it. Letting out a tired sigh, she attempted to close the door, but failed as his hand continued to hold it wide. She refused to look him in the eye as she responded to his request. "We have talked, Gibbs. Just leave."

His voice rose more in exasperation than anger as he strove to make her understand. "One week. It took me one week - trying to ignore what had happened, feeling angry at you, guilty at myself, and just plain being depressed - to work up the courage to come here. To face the truth and tell it to you." His look softened even as he continued to hold her door firmly open. "Please let me tell you what I'm now sure of. If you still want me to leave after that, I will, no questions asked."

She was sure it was the first time that she'd ever heard him concede a point in anyone else's favor. It was that fact more than the request itself that moved her to stand aside; to let him, against her better judgement, enter her home. But even as he stood awkwardly in her living room, obviously unsure of his next move, she remembered how annoyed she was that he was continuing to bring up what they had both agreed to put behind them.

Without asking him to sit, she took them immediately into the conversation that he was so insistent they have. "What do you want to talk about? Haven't we already decided to forget what happened?"

"I tried that and I can't do it. I can't keep acting as though that night didn't happen." He mirrored her position, standing a few feet away from her, both in stances that suggested that backing down was not an option.

Her voice rose in frustration. "Fine, it happened. What more do you want? It happened; it probably shouldn't have, but it did." His heart constricted at the thought that she felt like that. "It was a one-time thing to help deal with the day."

"Is that really all it was to you? Because it was more than that for me." He barely registered her surprised expression as his volume rose. He took a step toward her and his tone took on a condescending note. "If I had just been looking for a quick fuck do you honestly think I would have hesitated in the beginning, or that we ever would have made it as far as my bed?" He paused. Suddenly realizing exactly where the conversation was headed he steeled himself for her response to his next statement. His features softened and he held her gaze, willing her to understand. "I made love to you that night because I thought that was what we both wanted."

His movements shaky, he made his way to the couch and sat down heavily. Trying to gather his thoughts, he made a point of looking anywhere except at her. He had promised himself that he would tell her, but he had never expected it to be as difficult as it was turning out to actually be. Taking a deep breath, he looked back at her, making sure that their gazes were locked, before he spoke again.

"When we kissed for the first time down in my basement it was like for the first time in a long while everything was going right. I've cared about you for so long, and I couldn't believe that you might feel the same. Yes, I needed to know that we were still alive after nearly being shot, but it was a lot more than that. And when you weren't there the next morning, it was like that night hadn't happened; like I actually had been shot on that rooftop."

His words had brought tears to her eyes and she desperately wanted to respond, but he continued to speak. "I'm not good with talking and so this is all probably not making any sense. But I needed to tell you. And now that I have, I'll leave like I said I would."

He began to stand, but her next words stopped him. "No, don't go." She hesitated for just a moment before sitting down next to him, close but not quite touching. He continued to watch her even as her eyes left his. Surprised by her behavior, he was even more shocked as she continued to speak.

"You asked me on Wednesday why I didn't stay." She focused on the couch next to his knee rather than on him and her words were harsh from the tears she was trying, but rapidly failing, to hold back. "I was scared. I hadn't realized just how much I cared about you and when I did realize I…" He stayed silent as she gulped back a sob and continued speaking. "I thought that you didn't feel the same. That for you it was just a one-time thing to feel alive after we could have died. I was scared that you would be able to tell how much I loved you and that you would just brush me off, so I left."

Anything else she might have attempted to say was lost as a sob ripped from her throat. He pulled her tightly into his arms, feeling her tears seep through the fabric of his t-shirt. He suddenly understood. She had come to him that night to feel safe and loved, but hadn't thought he would feel the same.

Pulling her closer against him, he rubbed a soothing hand along her back as he responded to her earlier statement. "I could never brush you off. And I don't think that I could ever not feel the same. I love you so much."

With her face still tucked against his shoulder, he could only just make out her next words. "Things have gotten so out of hand. How did we make this so much more complex than it needed to be?" He lifted her face with a hand on her chin and took in the tear stains and contrasting smile that marked it.

He grinned down at her for a moment before his expression softened. Leaning down, his next words were breathed against her mouth just before he captured her lips in a slow, soft kiss. "I don't know, but let's just keep things simple from now on."

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When he woke the next morning, it was to the same slight pain in his back and crick in his neck that he'd been experiencing all week. The pain that told him that he'd slept on a less than ideally padded couch several inches shorter than his six foot frame demanded.

He couldn't help but smile at how different this morning was to the previous six. His back was pressed against the back of the couch, his head roughly pillowed on the arm rest and his arms wrapped tightly around a still sleeping Kate Todd.

They'd stayed up most of the night just talking about everything that had happened and about what they wanted for the future. She had fallen asleep in his arms and he'd been unwilling to disturb the peaceful expression that had claimed her features. Despite knowing that he'd pay for it in the morning, he had rearranged them on the couch and watched her sleep for a few moments before following her into dreamland.

It took him a moment to realize that he hadn't woken naturally. His cell phone, still tucked in a pocket of the jacket he had discarded and tossed over the back of the couch, was ringing loudly. He made a grab for it, hoping that he could answer it before it woke his sleeping companion, but not quite succeeding as she opened a bleary eye just as he flipped the device open and took in the name on the screen.

His voice was rough from sleep as he barked into the reciever, earning a momentary grin from Kate. "What, Tony?"

"Uh, morning boss." The younger agent's voice sounded reasonably concerned and for a moment Gibbs was worried that his so far perfect morning would be ruined by a case. His fears were dispelled as the other man continued talking. "McGee and I just wanted to make sure you were still among the living. You weren't answering at home and neither is Kate. We're kinda worried. It isn't like her to be late and-"

At Kate's curious look he'd mouthed the word 'work' to her, but as she moved to get up he'd pulled her tighter against him and shook his head before cutting the younger agent off. "Tony, Kate is fine." The smile he had on his face crept into his voice as he continued. "And unless there's a case, we're not going to be coming in today." Any response that the younger man might have made was silenced as Gibbs abruptly closed the cell, ending the call.

Capturing Kate's lips in a sensual kiss, he let the phone fall to the floor. He pulled away just far enough to speak clearly. "What do you want to do today?"

Her response was a mischievious grin as she traced a hand over his chest and behind his neck. Her soft words answered his question just before their mouths connected. "I'm sure we'll think of something."

**THE END**


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